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Thomas and Stepney
Britt Allcroft & David Mitton |director=David Mitton |producer= Britt Allcroft David Mitton |narrator= Michael Angelis George Carlin |series=Series 4 |series_no=4.16 |number=94 |sts_episode=Once Upon a Time |released= * 7th January 1995 * 6th November 1995 * 13th May 1996 * 21st March 1997 * 4th February 1998 * 31st July 2009 |previous=Rusty to the Rescue |next=Train Stops Play}} Thomas and Stepney is the sixteenth episode of the fourth series. It is based on the stories Bluebells of England and Stepney's Special from The Railway Series book, Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine. Plot Thomas has been running his branch line like clockwork and shares his confidence to Percy, who doubtfully agrees, and then finds out that there is an engine with a branch line as famous as his and that the engine is proposing to visit. The engine is named Stepney, who is far away but the Fat Controller says that he will visit the North Western Railway someday. Meanwhile, Stepney has been running the Bluebell Railway smoothly, which is not very long, much to his disappointment. Later, he sees Rusty, who saved him from scrap. Stepney tells Rusty that he is bored with the railway and is longing for a long journey, while Rusty suggests talking to his driver, who agrees with his engine. Fortunately, in the evening, he is delighted to discover that he has been invited to visit the Fat Controller's railway, in which Stepney heads off the following morning. By now, the engines have heard the news and begin to talk about Stepney. However, Thomas is a bit jealous about how Stepney's famous branchline is as famous as his own and leaves to fetch his coaches. Percy looks at the passengers at Knapford on track 5 and claims they are stranded with no train, but he is wrong; the signal drops and before long, an engine's whistle is heard from a distance. Douglas tells the engines that Stepney has come. Stepney arrives through the junction, where the engines whistle a big welcome. Edward hopes that Stepney will meet Thomas, as they both have branch lines. Stepney then goes off to work with Duck to shunt coaches in the yard all afternoon. Later that evening, Thomas sees Stepney and Duck but continues with his final branchline train. But then, the two tank engines hear shouting at the station and a sound of a ringing alarm. The alarm turns out to be the telephone which the signalman answers and finds that one of the trains is a special. Thomas is furious when he finds out that he has to be shunted to let another train pass and is frustrated to find Stepney pulling the special. Thomas continues to grumble about it next morning, but Stepney explains the situation: he took an important passenger who chartered a special train which Duck let him take, yet when he is unable to finish, Thomas realises he was nervous since he did not know the line. Stepney flatters Thomas by calling him an expert and Thomas, no longer jealous and cross, proceeds to tell Stepney all about his branchline. Characters * Thomas * Edward * Percy * Douglas * Stepney * Rusty * The Important Passenger * Duck * Henry * Gordon * James * Annie and Clarabel * The Vicar of Wellsworth * The Inspector with the Bowler Hat * One Little Boy * Sir Topham Hatt * Stepney's Controller Locations * Bluebell Valley Station * Stepney's Branch Line * Knapford * Tidmouth Sheds * Sodor Shipping Company * Shunting Yards * Callandale Trivia * A deleted scene from the previous episode is used. * In the UK and international versions, when the special is ordered, music is heard. This is absent in the US version. Towards the end of the episode, the background shunting noise is cut off and some whistle sounds are also missing in the US version. * On PBS Sprout airings, this episode uses the unrestored opening credits. * The area where Thomas travels in the first scene is the same set Sir Handel and George had their altercation in the fourth series episode, Steam Roller, but with standard gauge track added. * A grey warehouse from TUGS appears at the shunting yards. Goofs * When Thomas puffs past the field at the beginning, studio equipment is visible in the top-right corner. * While Percy is telling Thomas about Stepney, as the camera is on Thomas, Percy's right lamp iron is bent but when the camera is on Percy, it is normal. * While the engines wait for Stepney, a tar wagon, perched on another tar wagon, is visible behind Gordon and Henry. * Stepney has Smudger's whistle sound in most of the US version; his usual one is heard once. In both the UK and US versions, Stepney has Duke's whistle sound when he is working with Duck. * In the US version, when Percy finishes talking about Stepney, his whistle sound is a higher pitched version of Thomas' whistle. * In the UK and international versions, Gordon, Duck and Douglas have the same whistle sound. * When Thomas says "Why are we waiting? My passengers are being delayed," a black box is attached to his cab. * In the US dub, George Carlin mistakenly says "Stop all train!" instead of "Stop all trains!" In Other Languages Home Media Releases ITA * Here Comes the Queen MYS * Passengers and Polish and Other Thomas Adventures * Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady and Other Adventures DK * The Brave Engine and Other Stories NL * Rock 'n Roll (Dutch DVD) * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas PHL * Paint Pots and Queens (Philippine DVD) GR * A Day at the Station DVD Boxsets * 3 DVD Boxset 2 SVN * Thomas and Stepney (Slovenian DVD) UKR * A Train Thomas and Friends * Thomas and Friends - Series 4 (Ukrainian DVD) IN * Trucks and Other Stories CHN * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD) THA * Thomas and Friends - Volume 14 (Thai DVD) HK * Thomas and Friends Volume 10 (Thai DVD) * Thomas and Friends Volume 2 (DVD) TWN * Thomas and Friends Volume 12 (Taiwanese DVD) |}} es:Thomas y Stepney he:תומס וסטפני ja:トーマスとステップニー pl:Tomek i Stefcio ru:Томас и Степни Category:Series 4 episodes Category:Episodes Category:Railway Series adaptations Category:Direct-to-Home Video